This Mother’s Day, many Canberra mums will be surrounded by their children, likely to be surprised with breakfast in bed or flowers. But in developing countries such as South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of mothers never make it through the birth of their child. In fact, every two minutes, a mother dies from […]

Trigger warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and self harm. If you or someone close to you needs support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Like many of us, Sarina Macklin, 46, is not how she appears. She’s got a big, open smile and laughs easily. Sarina has travelled the world and was […]

Most women dream of achieving a perfect work/life balance, but would you take a year off in the middle of your career to find it? What about four? Tracy Keeley did, and she has no regrets. The Director of Poppy and Maude, the company that operates Bookplate, Paperplate and the catering services at the National Library […]

When life gets busy, personal fitness is often the first thing to suffer. For Wendy Brookman, the owner of Fernwood Canberra City, women’s fitness is about women putting themselves first. As a mum of five and small business owner, she knows a thing or two about juggling priorities. Wendy’s fitness background is in track and field, […]

Like most offices in the House on the Hill, this is large with plush carpet and white walls adorned with artwork from the Parliament House collection. There’s plenty of places for guests to sit, including couches and a polished, round wooden table and chairs sitting in the centre of the room. This is where Gai […]

2015 marked 30 years since the appointment of Helen Williams AO as the Secretary of the Department of Education, the first woman to be appointed at this level in a Federal Government department. 1985 was a different time for women, before Parliament House was on the hill and where, as a woman, you were still […]

With typical wry humour, Jenni Atkinson, 54, describes herself as “a ridiculously proud, out and sassy queer gender f****** transwoman.” And indeed, many Canberrans would know her as someone who works tirelessly on LGBTIQ human rights. As part of this activism, Jenni started the ACT-based information and support group TranzAustralia in 2011. This story is not […]

Wife, mum and co-founder of a flourishing modelling business. This is just a day in the life of Andrea Hutchinson, Managing Director of HAUS Models. “I grew up in Switzerland, speaking German, French and English. I started a linguistics and psychology degree at the University of Bern,” explains Andrea. “During my first semester break I travelled […]

The lack of diversity in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera, is well documented. Actors like Jennifer Lawrence have drawn attention to the pay disparity between themselves and their male co stars, and director Ava Duvernay has called out the discrimination faced by people of colour in the film industry. […]

Priscilla Sutton, 37, takes her right leg off to show me. She presses a button and she – yes, the leg is a girl – comes off with a loud, mechanistic “click”. This below-knee prosthetic can only be described as beautiful. The calf area is covered with delicate flowers and birds in hues of grey, […]